Cyrus bussey



vL. MOUAT, Jr. CYLINDER LOCK AND KEY.

(Mdel.)

Patented Deo. 8, 1891.

UNITED STATES LAURENCE M CUAT, JR.,

PATENT OFFICE.

OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

CYLINDER LOCK AND KEY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 464,579, dated December8, 1891.

Application filed June l5, 1891. Serial No. 396,271. (Model.)

To all whom, t may concern:

Be it known that I, LAURENCE MOUAT, J r., a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State ofIllinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in CylinderLocks and Keys, (Case 5,) of which the following is a full, clear,concise, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings, forming a part of this specification.

My invention relates to combination-locks and keys therefor; and itconsists, first,in a key provided with a straight edge on one side and azigzag edge or portion on the other side, the zigzag edge or portionbeing preferably provided with a bit and the straight edge beingpreferably extended beyond the zigzag portion or brought to a point, soas to be readily inserted through the tumblers of the lock; second, in alock having a case preferably in the form of a cylinder, this case beingprovided with a cylindrical opening, into which a cylindrical barrelprovided withA a key-hole and tumblers is iistted to be rotated therein,said barrel carrying upon its inner end an arm or wing which serves tothrow the bolt of the lock in one direction or the other, accordingly asthe barrel is turned to the right or left. This barrel is preferablyprovided with two sets of tumblers, and I have found it convenient touse ive of each kind, the pin-tumblers being arranged vertically and inthe line of the axis above the key-hole, and the plate-tumblers havingnotches or slots being the others of the side plate-tumblers areforcedeach by its spring in the opposite direction,

so as to enter a corresponding longitudinal slot on the other side ofthe said bore or opening in the frame. The pin -tumblers are placed,preferably, above the barrel and in line with the short pins in thebarrel and corresponding in size thereto, said short pins being of suchlength that when the key is inserted the bit thereof, coming under saidshort pins, will force them up against the pintumblers in thecorresponding holes in the casing, so that Ythe upper ends of the shortpins will be just flush with the outside of the barrel-that is to say,the short pins of the barrel will force the spring-pins of the casinginto their holes in the casing just far enough so that there will be noengagement between the barrel and the opening in the casing to which itis fitted. Moreover, when the key is inserted the zigzag edge thereofis, so to speak, Worked through the notched or slotted platetumblers andacts to move said plate-tumbers to the right and left until the key is fnlly inserted, whereupon said plate-tumblers will be held by the keyagainst the force of their springs, so as to be out of engagement withthe case-that is, the key being fully inserted disengages all thetumblers from the casing andso. leaves the core free to be turned to theright or left as may be required to turn the bolt.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in Which--Figures 1 and 2 are side and edge Views, respectively,- of the key.Figs. 3 and 4c are front and rear views of the casing with the barrel inplace. Fig` 5 is a sectional View upon line x of Fig. 3. Fig. 6 is asectional view upon line y y of Fig. 4. Fig. 7 is a transverse sectionalview upon line z z of Fig. 5. Fig. 8 is a side view of one of theplate-tumblers.

Like parts areindicated by similar letters of reference throughout thedifferent ligures.

The key, as shown in Figs. l and 2, consists of the straight edge a, andthe tinted or zigzagged portion b. The bit c is formed upon thezigzagged side, and may be of any desired outline, according to thecombination of the tumblers. Such hitting of a key, the contour thereofconforming in outline in each instance to the particular combination ofthe tumblers is old in the art. The straight edge a and a iiuted portionb in the same key, either with or without the bit-ting c, I believeto'be broadly new, and by this construction I am -Aenabled to compel thefilling of the key-hole--that is, with the key-in order that thetumblers operated by the bittin g may be made acecessible- IOO that isto say, the lock is provided, as shown in Figs. 5, (5, and 7, withpin-tumblers d d2, dac., in a manner well understood, and, in addition,with the notched plate-tumblers c ci", dsc. These plate-tumblers e',&c.,are placed one after the other, so that the slots or notches thereinwill break joints 'across the key-hole. Each of these plate-tumblers isheld by a spring normally in position to entera groove provided in thecylinder in which the barrel is placed. These plates e c2, the., may beof the form shown in Figs. 3 and 8. The spring f of each presses againstthe shoulder g, provided in the plate, so as to force the lug h into theappropriate `groove or slot. Thus, as shown in Fig. 6, the plates e e2,tbc., are placed one behind the other, the alternate plates being inreverse position-that is to say, the lugs h of plates e e3 e5 normallyare held in the slot or groove t' on the side of the cylinder, while theother plates e2 @tare caused to engage with the groove k on theotherside of the cylinder, and, as before explained, the insertion ofthe zigzagged key spreads these tumblers apart against the force of thesprings pressing against the same to disengage the plate-tumblers fromthe cylinder.

It is evident that the springplate tumblers may be varied inconstruction and arrangement Without departing from my invention as longas the insertion of the key disengages the said tumblers or in any wayacts by compressing the springs thereof to permit the barrel to befreely revolved in the cylinder.

As shown most clearly in Fig. 5, the lower portions of the piu-tumblersrest upon the plate-tumblers. Thus the lower portion of pin-tumbler CZis provided with a shoulder, which shoulder rests, as shown, upon theedge of the plate e. This construction I have found convenient, thoughit is evident that any other suitable stop or support might be providedinstead of using the plate-tumblers. Bittng c of the key should be suchthat when inserted under the lower ends of the pintumblers d d2, ne.,they will be raised so that the division or divisions of these pins willcome on a line with the surface ot the barrel, so that there will be noengagement between the barrel and this cylinder. As previouslydescribed, the insertion of the key through the slots or notches in theplates e c2, the., on account of the zigzag construction of the portionb of the key, will act. to disengage the lugs h of the plate-tumblersfrom the grooves i 7c of the cylinder. Thus when a key of the propershape is inserted in the key-hole all the tumblers are brought intoposition, so that there will be no engagement between the barrel of thecylinder, and the key being turned turns the barrel with it. Projectingfrom the rear end of the barrel is an arm m, and as the barrel is turnedby the key this arm m will be also turned. This arm engages with thebolt and throws the bolt when the key is thus turned.

I have not deemed it necessary to show the bolt, since it is evidentthat the arm m may be made to throw the bolt in the usual man- \Vhen itis desired to lockand unlock the door from both sides, two locks areemployed in connection with a single bolt in a Wellknown way. Thealternate plates e e2, being forced by their springs into oppositedirections, cause their notches or-slots to break joints across thekey-hole, so that access can= not be had to the tumblers d d2, or moreespeeially to those tumblers farthest from the front, as tumblers cl3614615, by inserting `an instrument into the key-hole. It is thereforeimpossible to pick my lock. The only way to cause the joints in thepin-tumblers to register with the line between the barrel and theinterior of the cylinder is toinsert the zigzag key provided with thebit of the specific contour or outline required by the tumblers. It isevident that my key provided with the zigzag portion might be usefullyemployed in connection with locks in which the pin-tumblers wereentirely omitted, in which ease there would be no need of the hittingupon the key. The key being inserted would sim* ply serve to disengagethe plate-tumblcrs from the grooves z' k and so permit the barrel to beturned.

It is evident that my key having the zigzagged portion may be usefullyemployed with other forms of locks, and I therefore claim my keybroadly-that is, without limitation as to any special form of the lockor of the tumblers'which are operated by the zigzagged portion thereof.

Since the bitting c might be cut in the straight side or portion a ofthe key instead of in the transversely corrugated or zigzagged portionb, I do not limit my claims on the key to the precise constructionshown. It is evident that the key with the hitting on either side mightbe used with locks having spring pin-tumblers and also springplate-tumblers. Either the pin-tumblers or the plate-tumblers might beomitted if it should be desired to dispense with the function or work ofeither of these forms of tumbler-s.

ICO

ITO

Having thus described my invention, I'

2. The key for the cylinder-lock, provided Y with a straight edge on oneside and a transversely-corrugated portion on the other side, the edgeof the transversely corruated or zigzagged portion being provided with ahitting and the straight edge being extended at thc point of the key,substantially as and for thc purpose specied.

3. The key having one side straight to serve as a guide and the otherside transversely corrugated, one edge of said key being provided with abitting and the straight side being extended beyond the hitting to formaiat point in the same plane with the straight side, substantially asand for the purpose specified.

4. The combination, with the cylindenlock having the barrel providedwith spring pintnmblers and spring plate-tumblers, the platetumblersbeing provided with slots and placed one after another across thekey-holes zigzag, or so as to break joints, and the key provided with acorresponding zigzag portion, of a bitting on the key corresponding inoutline to the combination of the pin tumblers, whereby on inserting thekey the spring platetumblers are compressed by the zigzag portion of thekey and the pin-tumblers coinpressed by the hitting of the key, all thetumblers being thus disengaged on the insertion of the key to permit thebarrel to turn Within the cylinder, substantially as and for the purposespecified. v

5. The combination, in the lock, of aseries of spring plate-tuinblersprovided with slots which normally break joints across the keyhole toprevent picking the same, and a key provided with atrans'versely-oorrugated portion adapted to be inserted in said lock,substantially as and for the purpose specified.

G. A cylinder-lock provided with a barrel having two independent sets orseries of turnblers Which normally engage with the cylinder in which thebarrel revolves,'and a key having a hitting for one of said series oftumblers and a corrugated portion for the other set of tumblers, wherebyon inserting the key the barrel is disengaged from the cylinder,substantially as and for the purpose specified.

In witness whereof I hereunto subscribe my naine this 13th day of June,A. D. 1891.

LAURENCE MOUAT, J R.

Witnesses:

'GEORGE P. BARTON, GEORGE L. CRAGG.

It isv hereby certified that in Letters Patent No. 464,579, grantedDecember 8, 1891,

upon the application of Laurence Monat, Jr., of Chicago, Illinois, foran improvement g in Cylinder Locks and Keys;7 an error appears in theprinted specication requiring I,

l l l correction as follows: Inline 24, page 1, the Word flstedshox-11d. read fitted; and thatV the Letters Patent should be read. withthis correction therein thatthe same may conform to the record of thecasein the Patent Ofce. l

Signed, countersigned, and sealed this 22d day of December, A. D. 1891.

[SEAL] oYRUs BUssEY,

Countersigned:

W. E. SIMoNDs,

Commissioner of Patents.

Assistant Secretary of the Interior. y

